Abstract Thoughts has been updated with Transition - which is basically my New Year's post about my upcoming plans and goals.

January 2, 2008TransitionTransitions is the theme for 2008. There are big-big changes all around me. I moved in with my fiancé in mid-December 2007. I hope to sell my condo by the end of January 2008. While I plan to continue my tech writing with Amazon and to do more of it on a monthly average than before, I also plan to get a contract job outside the house. I do not have to do this but I think I need to do it for a good 6-12 months. It will refill the coffers and give me a break from the writing. I need to refill my creative coffers, too. That means I need to rest my brain for a little bit.

In May, I will be married to my fiancé. That will bring on a whole new set of changes including taking his last name as my own. After thinking about this for a bit, I've decided, for many reasons, that this is a good idea. Besides, I love the guy. I want to be Mrs. Jeff. I will, of course, still have the problem of people spelling it wrong, just like my maiden name, but that's OK. I'm used to it.

(Eek! I have a fiancé! I will have a husband. I'm going to be a wife! OMG, I never thought this would happen to me. It's all too cool for words.)

There are other transitions. Just getting used to living with someone new. So far, so good. Here's hoping the other shoe never falls. Plus, my writing habits are going to change. I have a whole lot of editing to do along with making sure The Edge of Propinquity 2008 - Retribution gets off the ground in a big way. Freaky Friday Fiction will also end this year in late May. I decided to write only 105 Freaky Friday Fictions. Perhaps I will try to sell them as a book. Perhaps not. I don't know. They will all have to be edited no matter what.

Resolutions versus Resolve. Lots of people make resolutions they intend to keep but don't. They shoot too high or they write stuff down and never look at their list again. I rarely do resolutions any more. I have goals that I intend for the year but I need to really want them. Last year, it was all about the writing. I was an overachiever and I'm pretty proud of that.

This year, my goals are going to be very different. It was all about the writing last year. This year it is about me, my health and my career. My two goals are:

1. Lose 50 pounds. I stalled on my weight loss but I did not gain. That's good but now it's time to start thinking about my health again. I've already got a membership to a local gym and set up 8 weeks of trainer time. It will be a good start to this resolution. Plus, Jeff will be joining me.

2. Get an agent to sell the books I've already written and to sell the trilogies that go with a couple of the books. This goal is harder. I've got to get a good agent and I have some on tap to query this month. I've got a fantasy book, a sci-fi space opera book and a finance book to woo good agents with.

Obviously, Goal #2 is a multi-part evolving goal. Once I get the agent, when they sell my book or trilogy, that will push my focus back to editing and writing on that particular book/series.

For the record, I intend to continue to publish under my maiden name and never under my married name.

I think these two goals are doable and realistic. One is health based. One is writing career based. While I am doing both, I will continue to edit the books I've written and I have vague plans of beginning the second book of the Catalyst trilogy called The Acolyte's Sacrifice in June 2008. I will need the rest of that time to edit the other books.

In all honesty, this is about 80% of my Year in review for 2007. My focus and purpose for 2007 was to "just write" and I think I did that admirably. I'm pretty proud of myself.

I wanted to comment on your name change/writing under your maiden name plan. Since I'm a tech writer, that's one of the reasons I always said I'd have to keep my name in some form (or have him take MINE), because I have a reputation under that name. And I don't know how easily it can be done to continue to use your maiden name while interviewing/working in the high tech field, yet have a name change. Doesn't seem feasible/worth it, in my experience--fercryinoutloud, people have a hard time remembering my FIRST name is Dawn-Marie! But you can neatly solve the dilemna, and that's cool. (Not that I've got any sort of marriage on any sort of radar or plans or even hopes, but if you ever have an idea of how to resolve that for a tech writer, I'm all ears...I like the idea of sharing the name because you're becoming a unit, a partnership.)

I was going to ask about that too--the implications of changing your name as a writer. Do you not already have some readers, fans who could be confused or lose track of you and your work if your name changes (or, from their perspective, disappears)?